Verizon Wireless 4G LTE crosses the 500 market milestone

We knew Verizon Wireless had been approaching the 500 market milestone and it looks like that goal has since been achieved. Big Red has said the 4G LTE network now officially covers 500 markets across 49 states. It also looks like they will soon be getting into the 50th state as well. In addition to the 500 market news, Verizon has said they will be launching in Alaska sometime next month.

Specifics for the Alaska launch have yet to be revealed. More to the point for today, the current state of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. LTE coverage is now available for more than 99 percent of the carriers 3G footprint and more than 95 percent of the entire US population. While the coverage seems almost as widespread as it can be, Verizon ponders the question as to where 4G LTE will take our lives next?

That question may take some time to answer and in the meantime, there are some further stats dealing with the current LTE coverage. Verizon Wireless shared the following;

4G LTE is available for more than 298 million people across the US

57% of all Verizon data used is on the 4G LTE network

The carrier also made a point to remind everyone they have the "largest 4G LTE network."

The other aspect of this comes in with the Verizon VoLTE rollout. This isn't expected to arrive until next year, however once available users can expect some value added services. Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead didn't offer a lot of specifics here but did talk about items including HD voice and video calling.

Finally, while we expect Verizon smartphones to have LTE support, we aren't going to be seeing any LTE-only smartphones for some time yet. Of course, while 3G feels like a giant step backwards as compared to a solid LTE connection, we suspect those buying a phone these days feel better knowing you can still bounce back to 3G when needed.